Women Directed 5 Percent of 2011's Movies →

A few months ago, my Women’s Law Association held a screening of the documentary “Miss Representation.” (http://www.missrepresentation.org/) The film was by no means perfect: the narration was overly indulgent at times; it tried (and failed) to get me to root for Twilight, of all things; and it lacked any sort of real intersectional critique of media.

And yet.

The film was also a powerful, important reminder of just how marginalized and pigeon-holed women are in the media. Why does this matter? Because “you can’t be what you can’t see.” When girls and young women turn on the television or go to the movies, they rarely see complex female leads. We’re the sidekicks, the girlfriends, the fuck objects, the women who only seem interested in talking to other women about men. And when we’re not? Well, then it’s a chick flick, not worthy of any attention except derision. Women and shopping, AM I RIGHT?

Not only does this teach young women that they shouldn’t aspire to be more that this, but it also denies women and women’s stories visibility. The news story above really hammers this home. With such a small number of women directing films, it’s unlikely that many women’s stories are getting a chance to be told. Of course, women can direct films that center around men (see, e.g., The Hurt Locker), and men can direct films that center around women (and don’t involve exclusively shopping and/or heartbreak) (see, e.g., Martha Marcy May Marlene), but I’d imagine that most films directed by men don’t pass the Bechdel Test. It’s just easier to stick with what you know, which is why we need more female voices in Hollywood, full stop.

Okay, so the odds are slim that I’ll give up lawyering to write or direct or produce stories that I want to tell, but feminist media consumers can do a lot just by calling bullshit. Hollywood depends on our disposable income, so we should spend our money on films that treat women with respect. I may just make it my belated New Year’s resolution to choose these films as much as possible. And if you all are really lucky, dear readers, I just may blog about it.

Lemon, out.

(Side note: It’s amazing how verbose I can be when I’m putting off finishing a paper.)